


Marked with the Kiss of Death

by BaeyoungnBaeran



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: Action, Add this to the list of circumstantial evidence against Sonnet, Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Alternate Universe, Blonde mc x Saeran, Comedy, Crime, Drama, F/M, Idols, Implied/Referenced Abuse, MCs 1-5 from gallery, More pairings to be added as we go, Named MCs, Pony MC x 707, Private Investigators, Romance, Tan MC x Yoosung, The things i do in the name of research, because my browser history will definitely incriminate me, nsfw to be safe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-20
Updated: 2020-11-01
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:55:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 18,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25404973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BaeyoungnBaeran/pseuds/BaeyoungnBaeran
Summary: Would you rather be famous but live with a criminal?"I swear he finds me anywhere I go! I see his white hair in all---"The feeling of freezing arms snaking around her waist gave her sudden reconsiderations of her life decisions."It's just how it is, Princess."Or would you rather hide from a criminal and live as a beggar?"Sorry, I don't have coins," he muttered as he ran his hand through his unruly red hair.His boyish charm has sufficed her eyes, but not enough to please her stomach."Big bills are fine."He never knew beggars can be so picky.0-0-0-0REWRITTEN VERSION~
Relationships: 707 | Choi Luciel/Main Character, Choi Saeran/Main Character
Comments: 4
Kudos: 14





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Heheheeey jagiyas~! So this is the rewritten version of Chapter 1! Hope you like it!
> 
> Youtube trailer!  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDOxgrwLefM
> 
> or
> 
> https://www.instagram.com/p/CBixWm5g9JM/

Every waking minute, she wondered… _just what the hell is wrong with him?_

_“Yes, princess—”_

_“I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again—my bodyguard is broken.”_

**o-o-o-o-o**

Ayu clipped two braided blonde locks in a half ponytail. Although she preferred a full braid, her chin-length hair forbade her to do so. She sometimes wished she had not cut her hair, but the barrage of compliments from her social media had tickled her narcissistic side.

It took merely a week before she eventually grew bored with the limited variety of styles she could do.

“Pink or nude? Red is good too, though?” Ayu shook her head. “No, that’s trying too hard.”

Looking into the mirror, she pictured two versions of herself, one sporting a pink shade, the other with a nude shade. At first, it was a simple dilemma that boiled down to three choices— _would she go for a feminine, striking, or a subtle kind of beauty?_ With the striking red out of the picture, her options narrowed down to a subtle nude or a feminine pink.

Eventually, she set down the other two tubes, settling for feminine. “Pink it is.”

Twisting the cap open, she looked at the mirror and swiped the applicator on her lips. She smacked her lips twice to even the colour out. Once she was done, she placed it back in the tube and twisted it close.

For her most dreaded part—contact lenses. As the fanmeet fiasco happened fairly recently, she was yet to get used to poking her eyes.

_‘I just got your messages!’_

Ayu switched off the alarm notification and checked the time— _2:00 P.M._

_There was no time for contact lenses._

“Guess I’ll go nerdy.”

**o-o-o-o**

_When she says her heart almost leaped out of her chest, of course, it was an_ _exaggeration..._

_...but there was no denying that he scared the living daylights out of her._

“Do I know you?”

There was no knock on the door; not even a text message—as she opened the door, she found herself face-to-face with a stranger in a black suit, smiling widely and waiting by the front door.

“Sorry I’m late.” He bowed. “I was told a princess needed a bodyguard?”

_‘Princess? Bodyguard?’_

Frowning, Ayu eyed him up and down; he was of average height—with her stopping just below his ear—and had white hair with its tips a faded red. Despite the white hair, he did not seem old—he looked to be in his early 20s, in fact. Just like her.

_Was it too late to take out her pepper spray? He might attack her anytime._

“Bodyguard?” She scrunched her brows. _No one informed her about a new bodyguard._ “How would I know if you’re telling the truth? Do you have any proof to validate your claims?”

“Yes.” He fished through his pocket and pulled out a phone. He quickly tapped his fingers on the screen, then handed it to her. “You can call your dad.”

Though suspicious, she took the phone from his hand.

His contacts book had only one contact in it— _Big Boss._

Her lip curled into a sneer at the name. _‘Big Boss? Cringey.’_

She pressed the ‘Call’ button and held the phone against her ear. Two rings later, the other line picked up.

_“Ray? You called?”_

_Sure enough, it was her father’s familiar deep voice. And he knew Ray… So Ray was not a random die-hard fan trying to get close to her._

“Dad?”

_“Oh, princess, it’s you. I see Ray has arrived.”_

“What’s this about a bodyguard? What about Mister Park?”

_“Ah, about that… I replaced him. I figured Ray would handle the job better.”_

_So he was still hung up about the fanmeet incident!_ Granted, it only happened three weeks ago but...

“Dad! I swear he did nothing wrong! It happened so fast; no one could have foreseen it!”

_“Still, it was his job to act fast.”_

Ayu let all her stress out with a sigh. As his only daughter, her father cared for her too much that it bordered on overprotectiveness.

_Scratch that; it was not borderline—he certainly was overprotective._

“Okay, Dad. I’ll call you later. I have to go.”

After saying their goodbyes, Ayu tapped _‘End Call’_ before handing it back to Ray.

“So…,” she crossed her arms, “you’re Ray?”

He took the phone from her, then nodded with a polite close-mouthed smile that screamed forced. Being in the showbiz industry had exposed her to such smiles that she was no stranger to it.

_After all, she herself was an expert at that sort of smile._

“Just Ray.”

Uncrossing her arms, she nodded. “Well, at least you’re on time. I’m going to have lunch with my friend. Do you know where Chamwon Restaurant is?”

“No, but I can use Noogle Maps.”

“Alright,” she nodded and walked past him. “Let’s go, then.”

**o-o-o-o**

“Zen-oppa!” Ayu excitedly waved, bouncing on her heels.

A handsome long-haired albino turned his head to her direction. “Ayu!” He waved back, motioning them to come over.

“Hey,” she tapped Ray’s shoulder, then whispered, “Does my hair look good?” 

“Of course, Princess.” Ray vigorously nodded. “You’d still look good even without it!”

_‘Is complimenting me also part of his job description? Dad really did things overboard.’_

Though weirded out, she led him to their reserved spot, with Ray following exactly five steps away.

Multiple eyes followed their move, but no one dared to get close. With the peaceful atmosphere and customers minding their own businesses, she could not help but feel that their lunch would go smoothly.

“I’m sorry! Did you wait long?”

Zen shook his head. “No! Come on, let’s order.”

Pulling their chairs back, they were about to take their seats...

Ayu paused, wearing a look of plain confusion on her face. Zen, too, had an identical expression on his face.

_Source of confusion: her new bodyguard._

It must have been a strange sight: three adults, pausing mid-sit with their asses hovering over their chairs.

_His first day working for her and he was not doing a good first impression._

_‘What does he want?’_ Standing straight, Ayu held Ray’s arm and pulled him up. “Zen-oppa, will you excuse us for a moment?”

“Um, sure,” Zen said, confused, but sat down anyway.

“You can order now! We’ll be back reeeaal quick!” She faced Ray and released his arm, cocking her head to the side and motioning him to come with her.

He nodded, following Ayu as she led him further from the table. With Zen out of earshot and taking a menu from a waitress, Ayu placed a hand on Ray’s shoulder and pushed it down, making him bend to her height, and whispered, “Okay, I know Dad told you to be this overprotective, but I promise to give you a bonus payment later—just please! Sit somewhere else!”

Ayu made sure her smile did not falter. Personal space in public places was a luxury celebrities like her could not afford. A headline of _"Idol caught mistreating her bodyguard?!"_ would prove detrimental to her image… especially in Zen’s presence.

Ray whispered back, “A bonus payment is hard to enjoy when I'm missing my head.”

_‘You coward. Can you even call yourself a bodyguard?’_

“You don’t have to worry. Just enjoy your date—”

“Shh! It’s not a date!” Blood rising to her face, she darted her head side-to-side, then sighed in relief. _So far, no one noticed._

The showbiz industry was an unforgiving one—she was basically _“owned”_ by her fans. Being in a relationship was seen as something of a betrayal to them. Even being seen with Zen was a surprising sight, and rumours about their _“dating scandal”_ used to pop up.

It had caused an uproar within the fandom so as a result, she always assured her fans that they were just friends.

_Unfortunately._

The explanation seemed to satisfy them, as hanging out with Zen was not much of a shock anymore.

“And don’t mind me. I promise you’ll forget I even exist! Trust me." He beamed at her with an innocent smile on his lips.

"Does this face look like it trusts you?" she hissed back in a harsh whisper.

Ray studied her face, and for a moment, _he thought he was looking at something utterly hideou—_

__

"Yes," he answered briefly.

“Fine.” She sighed. “Let’s go back. Oppa must be hungry.”

Heading back to the table, Ayu took slow strides to calm her nerves, gazing longer at Zen who was intently reading the menu, unaware of the attention she was giving him. Even from afar, Zen gave off an aura of unrivaled beauty and charm. Hell, even the way he flipped pages stirred in her tingles of teenage giddiness.

_How anyone could look perfect just by doing nothing was something Ayu once thought impossible._ But the first time she laid eyes on him, she realized just how closed-off her world had been.

She was not alone in thinking that; almost everyone in the room had their eyes fixated at Zen, and not just because he was a famous celebrity.

The closer they got to their table, the more the surroundings blurred for her, and the more focused Zen’s beauty became. Ayu somewhat hated the paparazzi, for despite how perfect Zen looked in every angle, they lacked the skill to capture the breathtaking beauty he possessed. A disgrace to photographers around the world, was what they were to her.

At least the paparazzi's incompetence worked in her favour, for she was one of the lucky few able to admire his beauty in the flesh.

“Sorry about that,” Ayu spoke as she reached their table.

“It’s fine.” Zen handed her the other menu.

“I haven’t introduced you guys to each other. By the way, this is my new bodyguard, Ray! He replaced Mr. Park just a while ago.”

“It’s fine! So, are you ready to or… der?” Zen’s voice faltered at the end.

Confused, Ayu followed his line of vision and frowned. _She was willing to give him a second chance since not everyone should be judged by their first impression but this…_

Ray, arms crossed over his chest, stayed rooted by Ayu’s right.

“Oh,” Zen was the first to regain his senses, “don’t you want to join Dongwon? You might feel out of place.” he pointed to a nearby table where a tall, bald man sat, reading a menu.

“It’s fine. Just enjoy your meal, Sir.”

“But—”

“Ah, don’t mind him.” Ayu dismissively waved her hand. _They were just wasting their time._ Smiling through gritted teeth, she gave Ray’s arm a squeeze. “Ray here! He’s just really,” she squeezed it tighter, “reeeaaally… passionate about his job.”

Ray pulled his arm out of her grasp. “Ahaha! You overestimate me, Princess!” he said, sporting a big smile on his face, intensifying in Ayu an urge to rip it off of his face.

“Ooh, _'Princess'_?” Zen said with a playful quirk of his brow.

“Ah! That’s what he used to call his bosses! It kinda just… stuck to him! Old habits die hard, you know?”

_‘How dare Ray embarrass me in front of Zen?! What if he found it cringey?’_

“If you say so, Princess!” Zen teased. For some reason, _"Princess"_ sounded far better coming from his lips. As usual, Zen will always be the exception. “Well then, at least take a seat,” he requested and gestured to the chair beside Ayu.

Ray shook his head. “Oh no. I’ll stay here.”

“You’ll,” Ayu choked out her next word, “what?”

“You know, I need to act fast if something happens to you,” he said matter-of-factly.

She did not know what potential her father saw in Ray; all she could see was Ray teetering on the fine line between caution and paranoia.

“Ah, you don’t have to!” She forced a smile, shaking her head. Surely, not even he was dense enough to miss her straightforward message.

_‘Seriously. You. Don’t. Have. To.’_

“Oh, what’s wrong?”

Dongwon walked over to their table, then slightly bowed. He stood by Zen’s side, mirroring Ray’s position.

“Oh, um, want to sit with us?” Zen offered, albeit confused.

To Ayu’s dismay, Dongwon shook his head. _Things seemed to be going in a direction that strayed from her original vision._

“Hmm, I see?” Zen said. “We’ll order takeout for you after, how does that sound?”

The two bodyguards nodded, mumbling their thanks.

“Okay! Now that that’s settled… Ayu, is there anything you want?”

Humming to herself, Ayu flipped a page and shrugged, “I’m not sure. Whatever you think is good.”

“Okay! I’ll just order the usual then.” Zen raised his arm, catching not only a nearby waitress’ attention but the other customers' as well.

They must have wondered if their presence was an elaborate endorsement; after all, having two celebrities hanging out in basically any place—from five-star restaurants to junkyards—was bound to bring attention.

The waitress that came over was a young woman, possibly around 18 to 19, with a name tag that says "Jihyo".

“Yes?”

For a second, Ayu was unable to suppress the frown from showing. Once she noticed, she quickly replaced it with a smile.

_‘Who the hell does this girl think she is?’_

Being in the entertainment industry made it easy to discern that type of voice—one she heard a lot from girls; _it was the voice that made her want to slice her ears off._

Ayu looked in disgust, as the waitress swayed her body side-to-side, bouncing on the balls of her feet and looking at Zen with an awestruck expression.

_‘Please mess up our order.’_

“We’ll have Set C….” Zen showed her the menu, pointing at their order.

The way the Jihyo girl’s face got closer to Zen’s triggered within her an urge to….

Jihyo scribbled their order on her notepad, particularly slow for a two-word order.

_‘Hurry up.’_

Once she was done, she bowed and left the table. Ayu’s murderous thoughts were finally put at ease.

“So… about your role!”

Zen’s face lit up. “I’m glad you asked!”

“What’s your role?”

“Okay, so it’s a murder mystery show. Basically, my character is a lawyer prodigy. Something happened in his past that made him into who he is, which I won’t say because it’s a spoiler. So anyway—”

Not once did she chime in or cut his words off, only nodding every so often. The combination of Zen’s perfectly-sculpted features, enchanting red eyes, melodic voice, and passion for acting never failed to capture her in a trance.

“I’m sure you’ll do a good job!” Ayu gushed. “Can’t wait to watch it!”

Zen chuckled, “When I first heard the summary, I thought it might be something you’d like.”

“You thought so?”

“Here’s your order.”

To her relief, a different waiter came with their order. After turning the grill on, he set down two trays of raw meat and plates of side dishes—kimchi, fish cakes, japchae, steamed eggs, and baby potatoes. 

“Order’s complete. Enjoy your meal." The waiter dipped his head, and left.

**o-o-o-o**

_‘Discomfort by proxy’_ —did such a term exist? If so, that was the perfect way to describe what Ray currently felt, what with all those stares directed at the two celebrities. _How could anyone get used to this?_ It was hard enough to eat with just one person staring, but more than one? He might as well be a zoo animal, then.

Glancing to his left, Ray spotted a group of high school-aged boys five tables away, two of them holding menus in front of their faces, trying to catch a peek of his oblivious boss. Today was a lucky day for those boys, as their idol crush was too busy making disgusting googly eyes at Zen to notice them.

“You mentioned you wanted to try acting, right?” Zen asked.

“Oh… yeah. I just wanted to try it out like once, but I’m not really actively looking.” Ayu shrugged.

“Hmm, if you want, the director told me he has a friend who’ll be directing a film! And she’s looking for actresses who can star in her movie.”

“Ooh! What’s it about?”

“Not sure yet. I’ll ask him.”

“Tell me, okay?!”

With another glance to the left, Ray saw that those boys now had phones discreetly peeking out from their menus. 

Ray rolled his eyes. _Seriously, who were they fooling?_

He shifted to the left, blocking Ayu from their view. Though faced away from them, he could hear them whining how perfect the photo would have been were it not for _“that photobombing tofu”._

He suppressed a snort, _‘Tofu? That’s the best you can do?’_

As derogatory as it sounded, it did not bother him at all. After all, pale skin such as his own was sought after.

“So Sienna—”

The brief frown that rose from Ayu’s face did not go unnoticed to Ray’s eyes.

_Sienna Park, the visual, center and lead vocalist of the girl group his boss’ daughter was from—Dandelion; also considered the second-most popular member after Ayu._

Zen, however, was unaware of the sour change of mood, for her face reverted back to its over-the-top cheerfulness in an instant.

_‘Well, idols have to keep up a facade…’_

It jarred Ray as to how she could switch from sweet to murderous with ease.

_Click!_

Ayu’s head instinctively snapped up. “Oppa!” She squealed.

“Hmm, what caption should I put?” Zen sang teasingly.

“Delete that!” She threatened with wide eyes, only for her growing grin to render her threats futile, as though she enjoyed being teased by him.

_‘Get a room…’_

“Why not? It looks cute! See?”

Zen held his phone in front of her, which showed a candid shot of her, mouth slightly open, in the middle of talking and flipping over a piece of beef.

“Cute?” A dust of pink slowly spread on her cheeks as she turned her head away.

“Yeah. I rarely see you with your glasses on. It always looks so new to me.”

“Oh… Maybe I should’ve worn my contact lenses instead,” she pouted, before adding a new set of strips to the grill.

“Nah, that’s not what I meant. I think you look cute with your glasses.”

Her hold on the tong loosened.

_Shing!_

“Ah!” She exclaimed, recoiling as the meat sizzled and spattered oil droplets on her.

Zen took the tong from her, taking over. “Do you disagree that much?” He chuckled at her flustered face.

“O-Oppa! You’re such a joker!” She sheepishly laughed. Without the tong to keep her occupied, she fanned her reddened face with both hands.

Ray wanted to throw up all over their fishcakes. _It was hard to stand there with a straight face._

Before he could actually throw up, Ray stopped listening in on their conversation. It’s not like there was anything interesting to take from it.

As for her father, he could finally sleep at night without worrying about Zen stealing his only princess away. From the looks of it, his paranoia was baseless, as it was all unrequited on Ayu's part.

With a father like that, he pitied any guy unfortunate enough to catch Ayu’s fancy.

“Ooh, I think this is done,” Zen said, switching the grill stove off. One by one, he took each slice and placed them on another plate.

“Hmm!” Ayu gushed as she inhaled the barbecues’ mouth-watering aroma. “This looks so good!”

“Eat up,” Zen said, handing her a pair of metal chopsticks.

“Yes! Thank you for the food!”

She waited until Zen took the first bite. “Is it good?”

“Yep!”

Using his own chopsticks, he pinched a chunk of rice, adding a small slice of pork along with it. With a palm below to catch any falling grain, Zen brought it closer to Ayu’s mouth. “Say ‘aah’!” 

_‘What do you think you two are doing?’_

They were famous celebrities; would it kill them to be more careful? Surely, this would cause a dating scandal.

_And a scolding from Big Boss as well._

Just in time, he could already see someone pulling out a phone from two tables away.

Eyes closed, Ayu leaned forward and opened her mouth. “Aaaahh.”

_‘You’re not helping matters at all, dummy.’_

Ray moved to her left side, just before she took a bite, hiding her from the photographer’s view before giving the camera a _“little”_ smile— an apology for ruining what should have been a perfect shot.

But his apology seemed unwanted, as they scowled both at their phone screens and him.

“Is it good?”

“Mm-hmm!” Ayu nodded, simpering, and seemingly disconnected from the real world.

“I’m glad you liked it,” Zen nodded, before facing Ray. “Mister Ray, you really don’t want to sit?”

“It’s fine." He shook his head with a forced smile. “I’m not hungry anyway.”

“Hmm, I see—”

_Bzzt! Bzzt!_

“Oh, just a moment,” Zen said, glancing at his vibrating phone, then at Ayu. “Sorry. Can I take this call? It’s a bit urgent.” 

“Sure! Take your time!” She nodded.

“I’ll be quick!” Zen held the phone near his ear, speaking in a hushed tone as he headed to the bathroom.

With Zen away to take the call, the whole table was quiet. Ayu continued eating without him.

_This was bad._ The absence of a tall and handsome guy like Zen to be intimidated by made it easier for average no-name guys to try their luck.

Not even 10 seconds after Zen left, a young man, holding a journal and pen, was heading towards their table.

_How foolish_. Ray may not be as tall or breathtakingly handsome as Zen, but it didn’t matter. Now that he was paid to be stuck by Ayu’s side, the chances of ever coming near her were close to nil.

_The date had numbed his mind so much, he might as well amuse himself._

Taking advantage of Ayu’s absentmindedness, Ray sidled to her left, placing a hand behind her and resting it over the chair’s rail.

Ray’s protective stance prompted the young boy to stop in his tracks, looking as though he was having second thoughts.

He flashed the young man a cheeky smile that was in no way welcoming. 

Put off by the hostility emanating from his smile, the boy’s conflicting thoughts were put to rest, and he finally backed out.

With his intimidation a success, he straightened his posture.

“Okay, done!”

_Her rat-tailed friend finally arrived._

Zen announced, then pulled his chair back and sat. “Did you wait long?”

“Nope, not at all!”

“Soooo… how’s this charity thing of yours doing? Something… F.A? ” Ayu questioned with a slight tilt of her head.

“RFA? It’s doing well! Hmm, we still don’t have a set date for the next party, though.”

“Oh, I see,” she nodded.

“I’ll send you and the girls an invitation once our party coordinator decides on the date.”

A split-second pout crossed her face but was immediately replaced with a full grin.

“Yay!” Ayu clapped. “What will the party theme be?”

“Umm…”

Their heads turned at the stranger’s sudden arrival.

“O-oppa…”

_‘Oppa? The princess wouldn’t like that.’_

The barely noticeable twitch in her eye was enough proof.

A slightly chubby girl approached their table, accompanied by another girl who looked the same age as she did.

“Go on,” said the other girl, giving her friend a light push towards Zen.

“Yes?” Zen flashed her a polite smile.

“U-um…”

“She wants an autograph!” The friend said, sipping from her mug and positioning herself near Ayu.

“I-I…!”

“Oh, sure!” Zen said, easing her nerves. “No problem at all!”

Etched on his boss’ face was an uncomfortably wide smile that failed to reach her eyes. 

“R-really?!” The girl smiled, handing to him a DVD case of _Tei’s Tea Leaf,_ the film that skyrocketed his fame, making him a beloved household name.

Smiling, Zen took it, “Mm-hmm!” He stretched a palm out to his bodyguard, who then placed a black marker pen on it. Uncapping it, he asked, “What’s your name?”

“Y-Yoori!” The girl blushed, leaning closer to Zen.

Hidden underneath the table was Ayu’s tightly-clenched fist, nails digging in her palms sure to leave a crescent-shaped mark. 

“Okay! Yoori, ” Zen mumbled as he wrote his message. “May you always be happy and healthy. Make sure to always eat your meals…”

Face still close to Zen, she snuck a glance at her friend, mouthing something before giving a slight nod.

_Something seemed off._

Ray jolted his head to his left. _Something was definitely off._ No one, not even Zen’s bodyguard, paid attention to the mug in the girl’s hand, hovering above Ayu’s head, and slowly tilting downwards.

Quickly shifting to the side, he reached out to grab the girl’s wrist.

“Ow! W-what the?!”

“Ray?!” Ayu abruptly stood, widening her eyes at him. “What are you doing?! Let her go!”

She reached a hand out to pull Ray away from the girl, but was too slow to stop…

the tea…

from spilling…

on…

Zen.

_Splash!_

__

“Ah!” Zen stood, hair dripping wet and clothes stained with black tea, squeezing the liquid from the drenched part of his shirt.

Ayu snapped her head towards Ray. “What did you just do?!”

_She had on her face an absolute look of disgust._

“Oh, my gosh, I’m so sorry! He didn’t mean it!" She panicked. "What to do, what to do…?” Ayu grabbed a fistful of tissues and dabbed them on his damp shirt.

“This has gotten… a bit out of hand,” Zen lightly chuckled, rubbing his nape. “Take out?”

~ ~ ~ ~

“I forget this usually happens when you’re famous.” Zen joked once they reached their car.

“Same.…”

For the first time since meeting Zen, his humour was lost on her. She’s always laughed even at his unfunniest jokes, but now... _How could she laugh when the day she’s been looking forward to the most turned into such a wreck?_

“It’s weird. You know, I sometimes invite Sienna here—”

_‘Sienna this, Sienna that.’_ That cursed name always brought out a frown on her face.

“—but this never really happened.” Zen scratched his head and chuckled. “You be careful, okay?” He held the door open for Ayu, handing her the take-out bag and waved. “Make sure Mister Ray doesn’t skip a meal!”

With zero enthusiasm, she nodded, forcing out a smile that failed to reach her eyes. “Sure!”

The windows rolled up, and they sped off. Ray did not turn the radio on this time and simply drove in silence, occasionally glancing at her from the rear-view mirror.

_As for Ayu, she was too busy cooking up a plan on how to get away with murder._

**o-o-o-o**

Ayu slammed the door open, hitting the wall with much force, and stomped her way in. 

Following exactly 5 steps behind was Ray, carrying a box package under his arm and staying silent all throughout.

Coming to an abrupt halt, Ayu kicked her wedges off of her feet and flung them to opposite directions. 

“I hate her. I hate her. I hate that… UGH!” She tightened the grip on her handbag’s strap, knuckles turning white and fingernails digging into her palms. The temper she kept contained the whole car ride was now bubbling beyond her control.

Skipping the mandatory 5-second countdown, she snapped her head at Ray and snarled, “YOU!” 

Stomping her way towards him, Ayu jabbed a finger on his chest. “First day working and this is what you do?! Why did you have to mess this up? What right did you have to ruin everything? Everything was going well until you decided to literally spill the tea on Oppa!”

Ray said nothing, simply watching her seethe with anger.

“AND. THAT. SIENNA. He had barbecue with Sienna before… me? Huh?”

Ayu grabbed fistfuls of her hair, yanking it at its roots. A glimpse of Sienna eating and laughing with Zen flashed in her mind—fleeting, but enough to fuel her rage.

Taking deep breaths, she paced back and forth around the living room. With gritted teeth, she let out a soft scream, controlled and barely a scream at first, gradually rising to a crescendo.

_And thus came the apocalypse._

  
  


“AAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!”

She picked up a throw pillow from her couch and hurled it towards Ray, who barely avoided getting hit. “AAAAAAAHHHHH! I CAN'T EVEN!”

Nothing was safe in her presence. Any object unfortunate enough to be within arm’s reach was practically Sienna and Ray in her eyes.

She grabbed three more pillows, hurling them one by one in every direction. “AAAAAHHHHH! CURSE! EVERYTHING!”

Even her Louis Vuitton handbag was not spared from the madness. She unzipped it with much force, almost detaching its zipper, and dumped all of its contents on the ground. 

  
  


She picked up her first victim—a pressed powder around ₩78,000—and threw it across the room, letting out a long, ear-piercing battle cry. Not even the slightest hint of regret crossed her mind as it collided against the wall, dropping to the floor with a loud crack. Her ₩78,000 pressed powder was now barely worth a cent.

Her second victim—a flower vase she received from a fan two Christmases ago—met the same fate as the first. Who cares if it was a gift? Who cares if they were expensive? She. Wanted. Everything. Destroyed.

Imagining the scattered ceramic shards as Sienna’s face was doing nothing to curb her bloodlust. Driven by the memory of their disastrous date, she picked them all up, not caring about the wound or even worse, the infection she could get.

_It’s fine as long as they die before she does._

“AAAAAAAAHHH!”

From the corner of her eye, Ray was darting his head side to side. The chaos unfolding before him went beyond his control.

It was not enough. Thrashing the whole living room was not bringing any satisfaction at all! 

_If laws did not exist, she would have killed those two already!_

Lastly, she caught sight of her phone, grabbing it and dialing the only person she knew would understand her.

At the first ring, the other line picked up.

“Yes—”

“FIRE HIM! FIRE! HIM! I WANT ANOTHER BODYGUARD! IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE MR. PARK! ANYONE BUT THIS PIECE OF TRASH! THROW HIM AWAAAAAAAAAAY! AAAAAAHHH!” She screeched at the top of her lungs.

_“P-princess, calm down! What’s wrong?”_

“MY BODYGUARD IS BROKEN!”

_“What?”_

“RAY! HE… RAY! HE RUINED EVERYTHING! I’LL NEVER GET THIS CHANCE AGAIN AND HE–HE! UUUUUGGGGH!” She repeatedly stomped her feet.

_“Deep breaths, Princess, deep breaths. What did he do?”_

“RAY! HE SPILLED—"

Then followed a string of curses befitting a sailor. If her words could be censored, it would merely be a continuous, uninterrupted beeping noise.

“Give Ray the phone. I’ll speak to him.”

“FIRE HIM, OKAY?”

Ayu tapped the loudspeaker button, stomping towards Ray, who was standing still, carrying a box package under his arm.

She shoved the phone on Ray’s free hand. “You’re screwed.”

Ray held the speaker near his mouth. “Yes, boss?”

She crossed her arms and loudly tapped her foot. If looks could kill, Ray would have been shish-kebab by now. To be more precise, he had already been impaled by her death glares immediately as they stepped out of the restaurant.

“What just happened? I don’t understand what she’s saying. She said you spilled a girl on her tea? And someone’s shirt was drenched with this Zen? What? W-what does that mean?”

“Ah. That.”

_“So you really did something?”_

“Yes, but not in the way she makes it out to be.”

Ayu uncrossed her arms and stomped her foot. “JUST GET TO THE FREAKING POINT ALREADY!” 

“I’m not done talking,” Ray coldly snapped.

She gaped at him in a scandalized manner. _‘How dare you?’_

“And she’s right… somewhat.”

Irritated, she huffed a few stray hair strands away from her face, _‘Somewhat my ass.’_

“I did spill the tea on Mr. Zen but I was only trying to stop the girl’s friend from spilling the tea on your daughter.”

At Ray’s words, the frown on Ayu’s face slowly faded and was soon replaced by confusion. _The tea was meant for her?_

Stills of that unfortunate incident flashed in her mind—malicious intent hiding behind a useless piece of trash’s youthful smile, aiming a water gun at Ayu’s eyes, hellbent on blinding her with whatever unholy mixture she had concocted.

If Ray had been with her back then… would he have prevented it? She watched the conversation between her father and her bodyguard, a somber look marring her face.

_“What? Why would they do that?”_

“Simply put, they dislike Ayu.”

_“This is unbelievable! How could anyone dislike my Ayu?”_

“Heh, I wonder how as well,” he sneered as he sent a sidelong glance her way.

Ayu’s spirits sank lower. All this time, she was lashing out at someone who... did not deserve it?

Having tea spilled on her was not nearly as dangerous as the time she nearly went blind. Unlike then, the one from the barbecue place was merely an expression of hate rather than a desire to harm, but still….

_“Tell me their names! I’ll make sure—”_

“Stop!” Ayu marched towards Ray, snatching the phone from his hand. “No need! Goodbye, Dad!”

_“Princess—!”_

She ended it before he could say another word. She knew it was rude, but she did not care anymore. He’d forgive her anyway.

She looked around her, at the mess...

_'Mess' was an understatement; it was a trainwreck brought about by her rampage— the aftermath of a friendly date gone horribly wrong._

With the anger ebbing away, only silence was left between the two.

“Are you being honest with me right now?”

“Yes.”

“You know I could fire you anytime, right?”

“Yes.”

Blue eyes scrutinized his mint ones, intently searching for the slightest hint of a lie… _at least something to justify her outburst..._

However, Ray held his ground, staring her down with the same intensity as her. He looked as though he was challenging her, disregarding the fact that he was still working under her…

_...as if he thought they were equals._

“Are we clear? Can I go now?”

She was the first to break eye contact. “Do… Do what you want,” she said, casting her gaze on the ground.

He bowed, carrying the box package under his arm, then left.

**o-o-o-o**

_He had seen better content from Nat Geo Wild._

Ray rolled his eyes and scoffed. Handling his boss’ daughter’s tantrums was not part of his job description; last time he checked, he was a bodyguard, not a babysitter.

Her shrill voice was grating to the ears. He knew how much her father doted on her. Judging from his boss’ stories about her, he expected a spoiled princess wannabe…

_...not the batshit crazy woman package that came with it._

He was expecting at least a "thank you" from her, even when his effort deserved nothing short of a bow of gratitude. Were it not for him, those dirtbag fans of hers would have flooded in, asking for autographs and ruining her date. She should have been thankful that he was considerate enough to help her enjoy her date in peace.

_| From: Big Boss_

_|You did a good job today. Keep it up. Be ready by midnight sharp tomorrow._

Ray shot a glance at the box package under his bed. _Another one? He’d have to be extra careful around Ayu, then._

“Tsk, tsk… useless brat….”

_‘Condoms exist to prevent the birth of such abomination.’_

**o-o-o-o**

As Ray stepped foot in the dining area, he was greeted by the smell of bacon and butter.

Ayu, who was seated at the other end of the table, glanced up at him. Upon meeting his eyes, she hung her head down, playing with the ends of her hair instead.

Across from her, at the spot he usually sat on, was an untouched plate of five greasy bacon strips and scrambled eggs. Beside it was a plate of pancakes stacked atop each other, drizzled with syrup and topped with slowly melting butter.

_Bzz!_

A fly flew past him, then landed atop a strip of bacon.

Ayu waved it away, but it was a stubborn one, moving on to another strip instead. “TCH!” She shooed it again, and the fly eventually gave up and went away.

“You should’ve eaten it sooner if you didn’t want flies getting to it.”

“I don’t eat these stuff.”

“Why is it here, then? Is Boss coming over?”

“No.”

“Ah. How about that pretty boy?”

“I don’t invite men to my house. And Zen is too much of a gentleman for that.”

“Ah. Your frie—”

“AH!” Ayu slammed her hands on the table. Testing her patience first thing in the morning was not good for anyone’s health. “JUST EAT ALREADY FOR GOODNESS—!” She stopped herself before she could continue further. Closing her eyes and taking a sharp inhale, she composed herself. 

“Eat it now if you don’t want it to go cold,” she said in a somber tone.

This brought about a scowl to Ray’s face. _Was it that hard to say sorry? She was in the wrong, yet she still held her pride._

_He figured her father had probably instilled in her mind how she never needed to apologize._

“Tough luck, then, Princess.” Ray reached for an apple in the fruit bowl, then bit into it.

She felt annoyed at how the seconds ticked at an unbearably slow pace, and his loud munches only worsened it. _Was it that hard to eat?_ If it was a matter of taste, there was nothing to worry about. She can cook if that’s what he was worried about.

After what felt like an eternity, Ray swallowed. “I don’t eat those kinds of food too.”

He stood up and headed straight to the door, leaving her sulking.

_‘Go choke on your pride and bacon. See if I care.’_

__


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2 rewritten~! So far, I am satisfied with the way I rewrote this so I felt it was alright to post it ^^

__

_How he was not yet blind was a mystery Luciel may not ever find an answer to in his lifetime_. Sure, he may have had poor eyesight but the fact that his life revolved around computers, he half-expected to completely lose his vision.

Loyal to his daily routine, he turned his laptop on, and scrolled through folders and folders and folders and folders of unsolved cases the RFA members, mostly V, handed to him.

RFA, which stood for Rika’s Fundraising Association, was founded by lawyers Rika Kim and her fiance, Jihyun Kim. On the outside, a fundraising charity organization aimed to help the poor, sick, elderly and the abandoned.

Behind the curtains, an independent private investigation group that sometimes helps the police department in solving cases.

He could still remember the first meeting RFA had, where Rika voiced out their organization’s goal.

_“Our vision is to provide a beacon of hope for the unfortunate and lend a helping hand with utmost effort. We not only help the poor and the sick but also victims of crimes yet to be solved. With those victims, we are not only giving them the justice they deserve but also closure for their loved ones.”_

He used to work his ass off until Vanderwood came. The tall man who needed a haircut was a secret agent Luciel found from hacking agencies that may have information about a case he was handling. Lo and behold, he came across the Madam’s agency.

> _‘I, the Defender of Justice, the great God 707, seek information about a case we’re investigating. If you agree to help us, call xxxx-xxx-xxxx. Provide us with that juicy juicy yummy info and our evil overlord will pay you anything you want > 3 < anything but a girlfriend, my body or Honey Buddha Chips.' _

As a force of habit, due to being a previous secret agent, he had not sent his personal number. Instead, he gave one of his 15 phone numbers. He was not even sure whether the Madam would agree or not. The chances of him declining were 99.99%.

_And what a miracle it was when that 0.01% chance won. Miracles do happen._

> _"Defender of Justice speaking! How may I help you?”_

> _“You know it’s basic etiquette to answer your damn phone from someone you asked for help,” were Vanderwood’s first upon first meeting._

_Apparently, the Russian secret agent was in dire need of cash and only accepted his offer when a hacker co-worker of his confirmed it safe to accept._

_That came as a shock to Luciel since, first of all, he had not mentioned anything about the RFA, and second, no one ever came that far into finding information about him._

_If she managed to find any information at all about him, a hacker notorious for being the best and never leaving any trail, then she must be really good. Not as skilled as him but impressive and worthy of his kudos._

> _"She’s damn good; let’s just leave it at that,” was Vanderwood’s reply._

_Once he found enough evidence, he would send it to the co-founder of RFA—Atty. Jihyun Kim. Upon receiving what he and Vanderwood gathered, Jihyun must think of a way to use the evidence to his favor in a legal manner (since Luciel gained them through unethical hacking) and once that was done, he would file for the reopening of the case and defend his clients pro bono._

_Every time word got out of Jihyun reopening a case, the suspects knew their happy days were over. With a 100% success rate, he was known to be the best in C_ _ & _ _R’s law unit. In court, he was reminiscent of a merciless predator pouncing on a helpless prey, leaving them mauled beyond recognition. Just mentioning his name was enough to send chills down their spine._

Luciel leaned back and stretched backward, finally releasing the long-awaited heavenly sound of a crack. _Literally the only thing he looked forward to._

He then stretched his arms and slightly twisted them, earning a _‘pop’_ from each. The next ones were his neck, back, and then his knuckles.

If Madam Vanderwood were with him, he would have received an endless tirade about how he always sounded like a living bubble wrap.

Once everything was neatly popped, he went back to the case.

He forgot how a mattress felt against his skin. _Sleep? What sleep?_

With the number of cases they had been giving him, he was bound to die young, and it was not like they gave him cases that were easy to crack.

His life motto was simple: _"Work hard, die young."_ He would have been fine had it only been the latter; but alas, life was never kind to him from the moment he was conceived.

Just the night before, Elly’s mom (a.k.a evil mother-in-law) had thought calling sleep-deprived him to go to the C&R building was a brilliant idea. _Spoilers, it was not._ But as a slave, he had no choice but to do as told; not without whining, of course.

> _Upon arriving at the office, Mista Trust Fund Kid-slash-Cat Mom dumped on his hand a brown envelope before he could even say ‘Hyung’._

> _"I want you to work on this case.”_

> _And Jumin says he’s the rude one._

> _The redhead was unsure whether it was an order or a habit the Chairman-to-be had picked up from many years of training to lead their family business; knowing him, it was most likely both. Jaehee would have had firsthand experience._

> _He could have just omitted "I want you to" and gone straight to the point._

> _Luciel opened the envelope and took out all three papers._

> _He scanned the first page, skipping the high school information and proceeding to his undergraduate and post-graduate information. Atty. Kwanghim Jeong, Masters in Economics graduate with honors from the University of Oxford, an alumnus from Harvard Law School, Magna Cum Laude, was awarded the Joseph H. Beale Prize every year and the Morgan Chu prize during his first year, five years experience as an Associate Lawyer._

> _\He flipped the first page and glossed over the second page which was just a continuation of the first. He turned to the next page, his eyes barely moving as he skimmed through the words. Just like the first two, it only showed his many credentials._

> _He placed the papers back inside the envelope. He got the gist; dude was a skilled lawyer._

> _"I ordered Assistant Kang to conduct research on him. She found some of his accessible information from a website she called ‘LinkedIn’. The rest, I’m not quite sure but she assured that they were reliable sources.”_

> _“Okaaaay… what’s your point?”_

> _"He’s a private lawyer with a 100% success rate.”_

> _"Uh, so? V-Hyung is too, but I don’t see you questioning him.”_

> _"Not so fast. From what I heard from them and what Assistant Kang gathered, his clients are all suspected of being a part of an organized crime ring. And just when the other side gains the upper hand, all evidence against them is erased.”_

> _“Just leave them be and they’ll leave us be.” He shrugged. “Win-win.”_

> _“Allow me to remind you that our aim is to help those in need.”_

> _"Ah, that—”_

> _"I expect efficiency and good results from you. Now, excuse me.”_

_Such was the life of an incognito private investigator-slash-hacker-slash-slave working in the shadows._

Mid-scroll through the case, his security system suddenly made a long _‘beep!’_

_‘Oh God Seven-oh-Seven! A rare boss monster has spawned! God Seven! S.O.S! Defender of Justice! God Seven!’_

He glanced at the CCTV feed, seeing the pink-haired girl banging on his door. Again. For the umpteenth time. He rolled his eyes. Even a math whiz like him lost count of how many times she visited his front door.

He groaned and messed up his perpetually unkempt red hair, “Come on, don’t you get tired at all? Ugh...”

He placed his headphones back on and blasted Bongo Cat’s _Señorita_ to full volume.

As much as he wanted to shoot the random stranger triggering his security system for the past week, he was just too busy to deal with it… or even care.

**o-o-o-o**

She did it _;_ she finally submitted her withdrawal request. In just a day, she went from promising SKY University Forensics Science freshman _—_ Student # 2018-103240 _—_ to useless college dropout.

She bit her lip in an attempt to control her sobs, but the only thing she got was a wounded lip.

A single tear escaped through a crack in her barriers which was followed by another until the walls finally collapsed and out came the downpour. She prayed it was a nightmare, but every salty tear she tasted reminded her it was not.

_She never mastered the art of crying with grace. Silent crying never had been her forte. Unlike the movies, her crying style did not stop with just a single tear. No stranger swooped in and dried her tears just because they found her pretty and felt compelled to comfort her._

Eyes puffy, nose reddened, and cheeks sticky from tears... she must have looked disgusting. If she were to beg again for him to come back and change his mind, just a glance at her state and he would realize he made the right choice.

_Was their one year together that easy to throw away? She even embarrassed herself in front of random strangers._

> _“Please stand up. People are watching,” he whispered, trying to pull her up by her arms, yet she would not budge._

> _Indeed, multiple eyes were watching them. From her peripheral vision, she could see a couple of adults whispering to each other and shaking their heads, either out of pity or disbelief at the shameless display of desperation. From afar, a clique of highschoolers held their phones up, seizing the chance to go viral on social media. Parents that passed by them dragged their children away, some even covering their eyes, for fear her stupidity might be contagious. What parent would want their child to grow up into someone like her — a needy ex-girlfriend begging for her former lover to change his mind?_

> _Her kneeling figure, disheveled hair, and dark circles under her eyes were what feminists envisioned a weak heroine to be: devoid of self-respect and reeking of dependency._

> _“Please stay,” she pleaded and clutched at his shirt that was crumpled from her tight grip. “Please don’t leave me. I’ll do anything you tell me to. Anything! Tell me! What should I do?”_

> _Her pride did not matter anymore. She lost it the moment he ended things._

> _“Nothing. You don’t have to do anything.”_

> _“Am I ugly?”_

> _“No...”_

> _“Is it my body? Am I fat?”_

> _"No…”_

> _"Is there something I’m lacking in?”_

> _"Samsa…”_

> _"Am I boring?”_

> _He sighed. “That’s enough.”_

> _"Tell me!” She tugged at his shirt. “Is there something wrong with me? Tell me so I can change... whatever it is you want me to change.”_

> _"Nothing. You did nothing wrong.”_

> _"Then why?! Why are you leaving me?!”_

> _"Jinho!”_

> _She froze. Hands lost their grip on his shirt. Her body shook and slumped forward, palms pressed against the floor—the only thing that kept her balance. The background noise grew fainter, with the familiar female voice echoing and tangling her already-disarrayed thoughts._

> _"Aaaaand mocha frappe for—” She took a step back upon seeing Samsa. “Oh. Samsa? What are you doing here?”_

> _Samsa locked her violet eyes on the girl’s green ones, "Jinri?" Her voice came out in a shaky whisper._

> _Her suspicions were right; it was the same Jinri he talked about._

> _The same Jinri he met through a mutual friend of theirs. The same Jinri he went on study dates with. The same Jinri he went out with to go get wasted. The same Jinri he could talk to about his political views. The same Jinri he shared books with. The same Jinri he sent late-night texts to. The same Jinri he messages first thing in the morning._

> _The same Jinri he ran to whenever they had a fight. Jinri, Jinri, Jinri; the two syllables had sounded like a broken record by now._

> _She hung her head and broke off eye contact. It was hard to face them... Jinri, Jinho, the truth — that the longer she took in the girl’s flawless features, the more she understood just how easy it was for him to replace her._

> _"Pretty" did not give her looks justice; she was gorgeous. Even at the very place they stood in, their audience was not only staring at the commotion in front of them but also at the beautiful girl caught between two ex-lovers’ drama._

> _Her rosy skin free of imperfections challenged even the most famous celebrities. Her emerald green eyes exuded mystery and captured attention even at first glance._

> _Long silky black hair fell in lustrous waves; even if she were to go bald, she would still be a stunner. Compared to that, Samsa’s unruly dyed pink hair took long rituals just to look presentable… but at that moment, her efforts proved futile._

> _Though slender, the tiny waist gave the statuesque girl a shapely figure; comparing Jinri’s body to her thick and barely-there curves stirred envy in Samsa._

> _And thigh gap? Forget it. Jinri would never understand the stinging burn Samsa felt or the numerous pants she had to stitch or even worry about how long her pants would last._

> _As if she wasn’t blessed enough, she was smart. Whenever Jinho talked about her, he always managed to sneak in a remark of how she was a part of Mensa and that she was fluent in 6 languages._

> _She should have noticed something amiss when ‘Lizzie Bennet’ was Jinri’s name on his phone while her name was… just plain old "Samsa"._

> _No, to say she didn’t notice was false; she did… but she chose to look away._

> _Against tall, beautiful, smart, and interesting Jinri, she was not a loss._

> _"She had nothing to do with this.”_

> _“Then…why?”_

> _She blinked back tears that stung her eyes and blurred her vision._

> _"Won't you come back?" That was her last desperate plea._

> _“I’m sorry.”_

> _She could not hold it any longer._

She felt a cold drop of water land on her skin _._ Then another one fell.

They first came in threes, then fives, until it turned to a downpour…. _in the dead of night… when she had no umbrella with her._

“UUUUGGGGHHH!”

_Rain can’t hurt her now._ With everything that happened lately, could her bad luck _be_ any worse?

**o-o-o-o**

A smart person would call a cab or use Noogle Maps to find their way back home. 

A _dumb person_ would go out in the middle of the night, without a purse, phone at 6%... and let herself _"be swept by fate"._

So when hope came in the form of a run-down building, her mind processed for a few seconds if she was allowed to enter without permission, but the sudden lightning crackle and rumble of thunder reminded her that it did not matter. Drenched and shivering, she ran to her possible shelter.

Once she was in front of the door, she banged on the door just to make sure.

“Excuse me! I’m so sorry but it’s raining really hard and it’s so cold and my clothes are really wet, so I’ll just come in, okay please don’t call the cops or shoot me or anything thank you!” Then she pushed the door open and barged in.

She closed the door behind her and breathed a sigh of relief. She flopped to the ground and made the sign of the cross. _Finally, some sort of luck for the day._

She closed her eyes. The events sucked the energy out of her body. It was quiet, save for the loud pitter-patter of rain outside. She longed for the comfort of her bed and its strawberry-scented fabric conditioner. _When she gets home, she’ll definitely bury her face in it._

But the present smell shook her from her short-lived dream. She wrinkled her nose; the place stank of dried paint and urine.

She twisted a lock of hair and squeezed the water out. Next, she twisted her shirt, wrinkling it in the process until there was no more water left to squeeze out.

“Eep!” She flinched and yelped from another roar of thunder.

Samsa crossed her arms and scanned her surroundings; dark, with the gray sky as the only source of light, and empty.

As if on cue, campfire horror stories from her elementary years echoed in her mind, from the vengeful spirit of the pregnant woman thrown in the lake to the psychotic ghost of a serial killer out for blood.

She shook her head and hummed an upbeat tune, repeating in her mind, _‘It’s not haunted. There are no ghosts here. It’s not haunted. There are no ghosts here… ghosts aren’t real’_

To take her mind off the replays of random horror scenes she watched, she stood up and decided to roam around the building.

.

.

.

Stopping in front of various rooms, she pushed all doors open, finding _—thankfully—_ not ghosts but ripped wallpapers, ladders, broken tiles, and lightbulbs… and a musty smell rather than the stench of a decaying corpse.

With nothing interesting to see, she saw a staircase and climbed to the second floor, taking slow and careful steps to not trip over the broken white tiles. Considering her talent at tripping over air, taking extra caution wouldn’t be so bad. And besides, the rain wasn’t letting up at the moment.

“Be quiet!”

She paused at the third step from the top. _She was not the only one in the building..._

_‘Ghosts?’_

Taking a risk, she climbed the last two steps. She crept closer to the room where she heard the voice and slightly pushed the door open. Peeking through a crack, she saw, _not ghosts,_ but four men in police uniforms; two of which standing beside a good-looking man in brown semi-formal clothing while the other two…

_...restrained a blindfolded and gagged man by his arms, with the one on the left holding a gun to his head._

The tall and good-looking man, presumably in his late 40s, knelt to the restrained man’s eye level and tugged the black cloth covering his eyes.

“Surely, you are aware of what brought you here, hmm?”

The man’s husky voice sounded pleasant to the ears, a jarring contrast to the threatening words said.

The victim glared at the man and spat at his face.

The man inhaled sharply and wiped the spit off his face. The two officers tightened their grip on their captive, but it did nothing to wipe off the successful smirk he wore.

“Go on. Kill me,” he spat, voice laced with much venom. “The more you hide the truth, the more it wants to break free. Heaving a heavy sigh, he said, “I’d rather die than live under your regime.”

The tall man paused. He turned his attention to the two officers and gave a small nod.

.

.

.

_Bang!_

Without warning, a loud gunshot sliced through the air.

A slight yelp escaped her mouth. Her eyes widened as she slapped a shaky hand over her mouth.

The two officers released the dead man from their grip, who now lay on the ground with a pool of blood forming around his head.

_She roamed around to kill time, not to witness someone getting killed!_

She took several steps away, accidentally committing the fatal mistake of stepping on a few shards of broken tiles.

Her heart skipped a beat. All five men snapped their heads to her direction.

“Who’s there?!”

Upon hearing the unknown man’s gruff voice, her survival instinct kicked in and she ran as fast as her legs could take her.

_Forget the rain! She’d rather die of pneumonia than have her brains splattered._

  
  


**o-o-o-o**

“Did you catch the witness?”

“No, sir. But we found her school ID." He handed the ID to the tall man.

At the center was a picture of a girl with wavy, medium-length pink hair and violet eyes.

“Samsa Ahn… 2018-103240,” he muttered to himself.

He turned the card over, which had information on how to return if lost, how to replace if lost, her signature, phone number, guardian’s phone number...

“Proceed to this address,” he commanded, pointing at the written address at the back.

_“And do whatever it takes to silence her.”_

**o-o-o-o**

Basically Samsa after witnessing the murder

__

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heheheyy hope you guys enjoyed it! If you liked it, do leave kudos and reviews but only if you want to!
> 
> Notes:  
> Ayu - MC2  
> Samsa - MC5


	3. Chapter 3

It used to be her favourite song from their album, but now…

“AGAIN!”

That certain verse has been playing for over an hour that she wanted her mind bleached off of it.

After an hour of repeating Sienna’s verse, they have finally gone past it.

**__ **

“OW!”

“Sorry!”

“Stop, stop!”

For the nth time, the music was abruptly stopped again.

She had kept telling their choreographers how that “elbow move” looked really dangerous; right now, she proved her point when she literally elbowed Annie’s chin.

“Owwie,” Annie whined. “Unnie, do you hate me?” Annie jokingly pouted and placed a hand on the sore spot.

“Let me see.” The instructor gently held Annie’s chin and tilted it to the side. 

Ayu went a little closer to Annie’s face, hoping she did not cause much injury. Fortunately for both, there was no oozing blood or any forming bruise.

“Looks fine.” The instructor let go of Annie’s chin and clapped her hands. “Back to your positions!”

And so they did.

**__ **

The music suddenly stopped, forcing the girls to scurry back to their initial formations once again.

.

.

.

Ayu took a quick breath.  _ “You make me crazy crazy crazy crazy he—!” _

She could sense her co-members cringing at her voice crack. How can she blame them when even she found herself cringeworthy?

“You call that singing?!”

She couldn’t be bothered with the right technique or proper breathing, and so she sang through her nose. It was something her vocal coaches have always forbidden her to do, especially as she was the main vocalist.

**__ **

They’ve been doing it over and over again that it felt like the song was written for and about her.

“Again!”

She had wasted precious time dolling herself up when she could have just shown up in her pajamas. Well, she still had to do it; the life of an idol meant having to hide even the smallest pimple.

Midway through the dance practice...

“Stop!”

The five girls immediately halted their movements, awkwardly looking at each other except for Ayu, who in turn had a thousand-yard stare.

The dance trainer sucked in a breath and furiously rubbed her hands on her face. 

“Ayu!”

The blonde raised her head. “Yes?”

It only took one eye contact with her reflection on the mirror and a second to realize her current state; she had the face of a broke middle-aged widow who had just undergone labor for the twelfth time.

“What’s the matter with you?! You keep messing up not only the steps but the formation!”

“I’m sorry.” Ayu weakly bowed her head.

“From the top!” the trainer exclaimed before turning the music back on.

The four obliged, but it was clear to the naked eye that they wanted to get it over with.

She cannot blame them; after all, whenever it had been Annie or Eunbi who would mess up, she’d do the same… except, she would do so in such a quick manner that no one would bat an eyelash. Suppose they did notice, they would assume she was just tired.

They continued for hours straight, but have not advanced past the 2-minute time stamp, the reason being Ayu herself.

Despite being the reason why they could not take lunch, she could not find it even in the deepest part of her to feel any guilt at all.

The trainer raised a hand up in a  _ “Stop”  _ gesture. “Everyone, take your break. Ayu, you’ll stay with me.”

Even if the trainer had not said her name, Ayu would not move from her spot. Being the sole reason why their practice took so long, Ayu expected it.

“Hurry along, girls.” She waved them off.

When the other four were now out of the room, the trainer faced Ayu. “What’s the matter with you? You’re not usually like this.”

“I’m sorry…”

“If I’m going to be honest, I feel disappointed.”

“Sorry.”

Although her legs felt like jelly, Ayu wanted her to stop just so she could get it over with.

“Don’t mess up this time.”

Ayu went back to her spot, and as soon as the music started, she began to dance. Right now, she was a train wreck that was far from the usual Ayu that gave it her all. The Ayu right now had her movements delayed by more than 2 seconds, with her singing out-of-tune, and a practically non-existent stage presence... if she were on stage right now, cheers would have turned into booing and roses into tomatoes.

She could not move past the first verse and the trainer made sure not to mask her displeasure.

The practice continued on, even as the four came back, horsing around and laughing at some quip Annie had said. At least they were decent enough not to bring any snacks in Ayu’s presence.

When they laid eyes on her, their voices turned into whispers. 

The way they watched her made her feel as though she was a performer in a freak show. It was more uncomfortable than any concert they had ever done.

Hunger began to gnaw at her stomach.  _ No, she cannot eat unless she perfects the dance.  _ She mustered up what remained of her strength to maintain her balance.

A muffled ringtone played inside the room.

The trainer turned the music off and rummaged through her bag. “Just a minute.”

She then pulled her phone out and went out of their earshot.

_ A little bit of rest, at last. _

A warm hand took Ayu’s wrist, opening her palm and placing on it a packet of crackers.

Ayu looked at the hand's owner, seeing her blue-haired co-member shifting her gaze from Ayu to the trainer, making sure that she had not seen them.

She shook her head, handing the packet back, and whispered, “Not now, Annie.”

“But…”

“I’m fine.”

She lightly pushed Annie away just a second before the trainer glanced at them. Fortunately, she didn’t notice anything amiss and went back to her call.

As she looked at the mirror, her blue eyes met green ones…

_...and she could not stop the frown from showing in her face. _

“Sienna!” 

The lead dancer of the group buried her face on the redhead’s shoulder.

_ Seoyeon Park, known by her stage name, Sienna—the root of the sullen look on Ayu’s face and the reason for her screw-ups. _

That curly red hair flowing with cascades never failed to boil her blood, alongside that tall stature that always induced an eyeroll in Ayu… and that chest…

_ ‘What’s so special about it? Let the rats chew them.’ _

She averted her eyes the same time as Sienna did and waited for the trainer to get back to her.

Ayu couldn’t figure out just what Sienna’s problem was.  _ Couldn’t she mind her own business? _

One might think that she was just being envious and all that, but she had, in her mind, a legitimate reason to hate on the eldest member.

No one knew of her hatred; she must maintain the pristine façade their group had, even if it meant faking every wholesome interaction. A little later after their debut, people almost caught on to the brewing tension between the two, with some even making compilation videos of them.

With those videos circulating all over the internet, she had no choice but to fake every friendly interaction she had with Sienna, even when doing so activated her gag reflex. 

No one would understand unless they were in her shoes; the way Sienna looks at her whenever they pass by each other—the subtle side-eye looking down on her…

Even though she knew Sienna did not like her, she was aware that Sienna was not being petty just for the sake of being petty; she had a valid reason to dislike Ayu.

**~~~~**

Every so often, Ray would glance at his phone.

_ ‘Is she a monster?’ _

He noticed how she kept repeating the same move over and over again. Hours had passed and she was still going at it, not once stopping for even a quick water break. How she was not passing out yet, he had no clue. Maybe his suspicions were on-point, and she really was a monster.

After seeing her tantrum? Anything was possible with that woman.

Had he not witnessed her hissy fit the day before, he would have pitied her current predicament, but alas... she showed her true colours a day too soon.

She stumbled again.

But even the brattiest of people did not deserve that kind of treatment; so seeing her lose her balance midway, he felt a tinge of pity for her.

_ A tinge. _

**~~~~**

_ Finally, the instructor was satisfied. _

She was sure that song and dance would be burned in her nightmares.

Ayu glanced at her phone—11:34 pm. A bit later than their usual dismissal time, but not an uncommon occurrence.

The others? They had gone home an hour ago. 

She waited for her car to arrive, rubbing her arms as a gust of cold wind blew past her, and yawned. She was so exhausted that her eyes felt like lead, and she was sure she would pass out once she enters the car. Never mind eating a snack; so much time had passed that she forgot what hunger felt like. 

Several seconds later, her ride came. Ray came out of the driver’s seat and opened the backseat door for her.

As soon as Ayu sat, she leaned her head back, sleep immediately taking over.

**~~~~~**

Ayu frantically bolted up and peeked out of the window. She was in an unfamiliar parking lot with not so many cars. There was no one at the front seat, the air conditioning was turned off, and there was no key inserted in the ignition switch.

_ ‘Where am I? Did… was I kidnapped?’ _

“Shit. Shit. Shit—”

She tried opening the car door but it wouldn’t budge. She mentally cursed whoever came up with the idea of a child lock. Her heart was racing with each second; the possibility of being inside an obsessive fan’s car was too much to handle.

She turned her phone’s flashlight on and searched for any possible weapon, but when she looked around, the interior’s familiarity soothed whatever worries she had. A surge of relief coursed through her as she let out a loud exhale.  _ Good, she was still in her own car _ .

But if she was alone, then...

Her relief vanished in an instant when the situation she was in dawned on her. Her mood darkened, and in came an inexplicable urge to strangle a specific someone. 

_ ‘Did he seriously leave me alone without informing me? That…!’ _

Before she could start conceptualizing her creative murder plan, the doors unlocked and the lights turned on.

The car door opened and Ray’s face came into view. “You're awake.”

_ ‘No shit,’  _ she wanted to say. “Where have you been?”

At her question, Ray passed to her a large paper cup of soft drinks and a box of...

“Happy Food?” she asked as she took the box from him.

She opened the childish box, and the scent of greasy fast food came wafting in her nose. It has been so long since she last ate a Happy Food… even though she was past the age for Happy Food.

“I’m not sure if you even eat fast food,” he sat on the driver’s seat and started the car engine, “but it’s better than starving yourself.”

“Oh…”

Once again, guilt crept into her features. She never meant to lash out at him; she was normally good at controlling her temper, but he just happened to be a victim of her bad day.

Ray didn't wait for a reply, simply stepping on the gas pedal and began to drive.

Ayu took out a small pack of fries. The oil seeping through the paper and getting to her fingers earned a shudder from her. Such unhealthful food was not good for her skin and weight.

Nevertheless, her stomach began to growl, as though the sight of anything edible reminded her of her hunger. She took a fry and a tissue then blotted out the excess oil. If she was going to eat unhealthful food anyway, the least she could do was minimize its undesirable effects.

As soon as she bit into it, she remembered why she refrained herself from ever eating them… 

_ Once she got a taste of its greasy goodness, all restraint escaped out of her body.  _

She ate another and another… during the course of the ride, she kept munching on the forbidden snack.

_ ‘How could such a sinful food be so good?’ _

Last time she ate a fry was a year ago. Ever since she became a trainee, she only ever ate those types of food rarely.

“Can you change the radio? I’m not in the mood to listen to the news.”

Eyes still on the road, Ray changed the radio station; the first four ones were either related to news or commentary, but by the fifth, he finally found one that played music.

**__ **

“Uh, you can change it if you want to.”

“It’s fine.”

“You’re not annoyed at it?”

She was well aware that that single was a hit-or-miss type, although many leaned towards the ‘hit’ side. Ray, however, did not look like someone who would jam out to their songs.

“I’m just zoning it out.”

_ ‘At least, he’s polite…’ _

**__ **

Ayu made a face as though she ate a whole lemon. Hearing Sienna’s verse always succeeded in subjecting her to a slow death. It was not that she sounded terrible—she was the lead vocalist for a reason—but if she could cut out Sienna’s part, she would do so without hesitation.

She settled for Ray’s technique and simply zoned out that specific verse. It worked, at least.

As though a force of habit from countless practice sessions, Ayu unconsciously mouthed her lines and bobbed her head to the beat.

**__ **

“Want some?” she offered.

“I already ate.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah.” He made a left turn. “Worry about yourself and focus on eating.”

“Ray.”

“Yeah?”

“I…” She took a deep inhale and cast her sights down to the sweaty palms on her lap. 

_ ‘Get yourself together, Ayu! It’s just two words!’ _

“I’m, uh, sorry. I just had a bad day. It’s um…” she sheepishly scratched her head, “my time of the month.”

_ False. She just had it two weeks ago. _

“Oh? Should I mark my calendars so I’d know when to be extra careful around you?”

Ayu forced a chuckle. “Don’t worry. I’ll do my best to control my anger.”

Time of the month or not, he had a strong suspicion that her lunch date with Zen was the main culprit. Of course, he wouldn’t dare say it aloud again, lest he risk receiving the brunt of her temper for the second time.

“Why a Happy Food? You could have just bought, like, a regular burger or something.”

By her 10th fry, she gave up on blotting the oil out and simply popped it into her mouth.

The traffic light turned red.

Ray hummed in thought. “According to the cashier, it’s called Happy Food because the free toys can make people happy. Not sure about that, though.”

“Don’t tell me you believe them,” she snorted.

He alternately tapped his fingers on the wheel. “Not really, but there's no harm in trying it.”

“Trying to make me happy?”

The tapping stopped for a moment. “What part of ‘not really’ did you not understand?”

“Yeah, sure. Basically, you got scammed.”

Ayu rolled the toy in her small hand—a fluffy blue troll creature with a jagged smile, black buttons for eyes, and a keyring attached atop its head. 

“So tacky.”

Ray glanced at the rearview mirror and had to blink to see if he was seeing things correctly; there was a serene smile playing on her lips, and her typical sharp-looking blue eyes had softened profoundly.

As soon as the traffic light turned green, he stepped on the gas pedal. 

_ Perhaps the dim lights were playing tricks on his eyes. _

**~ ~ ~ ~**

She was sleepy, but she couldn’t skip her nightly facial care routine. Not only would anonymous haters attack her for it, but their manager and CEO would nag her for looking… less than pretty.

Feeling the thirst creeping up her throat, Ayu begrudgingly sat and threw her head back.  _ Just when she was about to sleep did her body choose to be needy. _

At times like this, she berated herself for not buying a mini-fridge inside her bedroom. One would think that with how luxurious her apartment was, it would be easy to just buy one. Indeed it was easy, but with her hectic schedule, the thought kept escaping her mind.

She stood up from her bed and walked out of her room. As she made her way to the kitchen...

“Ray?”

He seemed to not have heard her and merely ignored her.

“Are you going somewhere?”

She watched Ray exit the apartment, carrying a small package under his arm.

**o-o-o-o**

Luciel reclined to his seat and closed his strained eyes.

For the majority of his week, Luciel had been scouring the web up to its deepest recesses for any lead about the missing journalists.

_ Nothing. _

There were no new leads, and each case had reached its dead end. The most crucial time for crime scene investigation was the first 48 hours; beyond that, the probability of it being solved decreases each day.

Articles regarding each missing journalist were dated years ago, with the latest one being released 4 years ago.

There was no expiry date to unsolved cases, but if there was, those cases would have been thrown out long ago.

Once he was sure his 5 minutes of rest had passed, he opened his eyes and sat up. He felt like crying a little bit on the inside.

_ ‘I don’t want to work! I want to sleep! I want to roll in Honey Buddha Chips and PhD Pepper! I want more babies! I want money while doing nothing! I want… on second thought, I can just hack the stocks… Luciel, you genius, you...’ _

As he gave himself his well-deserved pat on the back, he caught sight of the documents Jumin had sent him.

He hummed to himself. “Fine, senpai has noticed you, guys.”

He grabbed the thick envelopes. Since he had wasted so much time with the missing journalists’ case without any success, he decided to rest by continuing where he left off from the Kwanghim Jeong case.

Hours passed yet there was still nothing of substance to see. The work was getting tedious, and he was sleepy and tired and bored out of his mind.

“Lu. Ciel. Luciel, Luciel, 707, God Seven.” He repeatedly hit his forehead with his fist. “Fo—,” another hit, “—cus.”

And he went back to typing…

.

.

.

.

At last, he could grace the Milky Way with his masterpiece. Such a shame that Andromeda could not witness such beauty, but what can he do…

> | **Jaehee Kang:**
> 
> ****

Ten minutes into his work, Luciel had gotten bored and went to MeTube for a little distraction, or else he’d lose his mind. When Dandelions’  _ Russian Roulette _ music video had been recommended to him, his genius mind had birthed a groundbreaking idea, a masterpiece that would bring Van Gogh to tears. He was sure that Munch dedicated the famed ‘Scream’ painting in awe of the genius that was Luciel.

> **|Jaehee Kang:**
> 
> ****

> **|707:**

> **|Yoosung★:**

****

> | **Yoosung★** :
> 
>   
> 

> | **Jaehee Kang:**
> 
> ****

> | **Jaehee Kang** :

Technically speaking, it was true that he was defending justice by investigating unsolved cases, but Zen didn’t need to know that. He was, after all, the only one in RFA who did not know of their investigations due to Rika’s request.

_ “He’s a celebrity,” Rika began, “and involving him in the pursuit for justice would risk not only his career but his life as well.” _

“Now where was I? Oh, right…”

He reached for his can of PhD Pepper only to find it empty, to his dismay.

“Madam! Mada—! Oh. Oh...”

For a moment, he forgot his “maid” was not around to answer to his beck and call.

In a split-second of desperation, he contemplated dialing his cranky “maid’s” number just because he did not feel like standing up, only to backpedal before his hand could reach his phone.

“Whew… Dodged a bullet.”

He may have little regard for his life, but he still valued it to a tiny extent.

Luciel reread the documents, analyzing every word typewritten. There was nothing much he could obtain from the man himself, leading Luciel to individually research information about his long list of clients.

Falling deeper into the rabbit hole, Luciel found that each of his clients had a similar or near-similar case against them, but there was one man who kept seeking out his services.

“Seo...joon...Kim...”

Next thing he knew, he was scouring every corner of the internet for anything involving that man, all while ignoring the persistent disturbance from his security system.

\- - - -

Ray scanned his surroundings for any loitering eavesdropper before glancing at the security footage playing on his phone; so far, it was safe.

A tall, sharp-dressed man casually approached him.

With one last look behind him, Ray handed the box over to the man.

“Is this tampered?” the man asked as he eyed the creases left on the box.

“Ah, that’s not it. Our mule just had a lot of baggage with him, so…”

He never expected his business portfolio to include covering his boss’ daughter’s tantrums, but here he was, lying through his teeth.

At Ray’s reply, the man handed him a thick stack of bills wrapped in paper.

Ray took it all out of the paper and swiftly counted them without missing a single bill.

Once Ray was done counting, he stuffed the money into his belt bag. With their short, illicit exchange completed, the two parted ways with a curt nod.

~ ~ ~ ~

Occasionally, he would encounter his boss’ rivals meddling with cases against him. During those times, Ray would successfully be able to cover his boss’ tracks, but he would leave out a few inconsequential ones to not attract suspicion.

This, however…

He hurriedly checked for holes, if there ever were. It was strange. How was this hacker able to bypass all the barriers? He was sure he cleaned up all serious cases without any trace, and he always triple-checked everything, but...

Just how did this person manage to dig out an 11-year old case?

“Tsk…”

Two days later, the dark bags under his eyes became even darker than usual.

“You look ghastly,” Ayu remarked upon seeing Ray’s worn-out face, a drastic contrast with the fresh-faced aura she was now exhibiting.

Ray faked a chuckle. Ever since her apology, she became less stiff around him.

She would never understand the relief she gave him when her mood had finally lightened. He, once again, narrowly dodged Big Boss’ ire.

_ Like father, like daughter. _

“I’ll call the manager to drive us to the studio. You can just sleep in the car.”

“But—”

Ayu cut him off and narrowed her eyes at him. “I don’t want to risk getting into an accident. A bodyguard should protect the client, not get them killed.”

Ray could not argue with that.

“So just consider this as a semi-day off or something.”

Half an hour later, their ride arrived. 

“Thank you for the ride, Mister Lee!” Ayu said as she sat on the back seat with Ray sitting by her right.

“Anything for you, Miss Ayu!”

During the car ride, Ayu and Mister Lee engaged in small talk while Ray stayed silent.

Ray wanted to catch up on the sleep he lost due to the hacker; he truly did, but the blue eyes fixated on his face was causing him so much discomfort.

“Yes?” Ray turned his head to her, flashing her a polite smile; at least, he hoped it looked polite.

Ayu opened her mouth, and it looked like she was about to say something but decided against it. “Go to sleep.”

The smooth ride along with Mozart playing from the radio immediately lulled Ray into a nap.

During the car ride towards the studio, Ayu busied herself with social media, but she would occasionally pause from her scrolling and glance at Ray who slept soundly beside her.

The night Ray had passed the package over to the man, he took extra caution while making his way back home.

However, what he failed to notice was Ayu, who had been watching from the window afar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heheheey! Sorry for the very late update! Been busy lololol anyway, hope you liked it!
> 
> Notes:  
> Song featured - Dumb Dumb (Red Velvet)  
> Ayu - Blonde mc 2


	4. Chapter 4

Not even the burning sensation in her throat or her stomach’s pleas for food slowed her pace as she turned corners, trying to catch a sight of her apartment’s familiar white exterior. She had already planned her agenda once she got home — to be one with the mattress.

With no phone at hand, Samsa was not sure for how long she was away. Panting heavily, mouth dry and legs feeling like jelly, she guessed it took a ‘pretty long time’.

Finally— her apartment building! Just a little more and she could finally sleep! Or drink! Or eat! If possible, she’d do all three at the same time!

She staggered to a halt, almost losing her momentum.

She rubbed her eyes and squinted. Was she seeing things? The fatigue must be shaking up her sanity.

The landlady, who barely went out of the building, stood at the front door, conversing with two men wearing police uniforms.

Her eyes almost bulged out of their sockets. She looked left and right to see if the others were around.

Did they follow her all night? That can’t be it. It made no sense to follow her and keep her alive for that long… as soon as they saw her, they would have killed her, diced her corpse, fed it to the dogs, then killed the dogs once they were done. She shuddered at the thought. She wasn’t paranoid or anything. Anything was possible. All those crime podcasts said so!

She hid behind a nearby parked car and crouched.

The first policeman handed to the landlady something Samsa cannot fully make out. From her distance, she could only make out a green strip of cloth. She craned her neck forward to get a clearer view. What she saw almost made her choke.

It was a lanyard from SKY University’s Forensics Department.

_‘It’s fine. SKY University is a big school; it could be anyone’s.’_

To be sure, she frisked her shirt, hoping to feel her I.D hanging on her neck. But the only thing it came in contact with was the fabric. She patted her chest and sides more than thrice… 

Nothing.

She fished through her pockets and when she pulled them out… still nothing…

It was official; Samsa was a dead woman walking. Her only comfort was that she hadn’t dyed her hair when they took the picture.

She shook her head. Silly. Just because she dyed her hair to an unnatural colour did not mean her face changed. And besides, the landlady was gesturing to her shoulder and spinning the ends of her hair.

‘Ah, right. She had it cut a while ago.’

She wanted to scream and let it all out, but all that came were tears of frustration. Her bed would have to wait…

Had she known the last night with her bed was the last time she’d ever see it, she would never have woken up.

**o-o-o-o**

“T-tom?”

“Hey, Samsa.” Tom gave a quick glance at her, then did a double take. “Samsa?”

“N-nice weat-ther today.”

“Wow,” he squinted his eyes, “You look—”

“Ah, please don’t say it.”

“Oh, sorry. You alright?”

“Oh, um, well… no, it’s just, uh, the thing is… you know....”

Her mouth itched to get the words off her chest. She already had the speech planned in her head; the only thing left to do was to voice it out, but...

“Yeah, more or less.”

It was not the most ideal ice breaker. If word got out, not only will she be a dead missing person, but so will he.

Assuming he would believe her... Her current appearance screamed ‘shady’ so much, him reporting her as an asylum escapee was not farfetched.

Without warning, her stomach made its bold introduction as a dying whale.

Heat rose to her face as she squirmed in her spot. No way could a non-deaf person within a 6-foot radius not hear it. Fortunately Tom did not notice; either that or he chose to ignore it. He fished through his canvas bag and took out a banana bread wrapped in plastic.

He offered it to her, “Sorry, this all I have left.”

She looked at him, then at the bread and greedily took it. “Thank you! Thank you!” She repeatedly bowed.

She tore the wrapper open and stuffed the bread in her mouth. The taste of overiped bananas and pecans in sponge form melted in her mouth… As a below-average cook at best, her taste buds weren’t all that reliable. But in her famished state, it was the best thing she had all day.

Crumbs fell on her chin and cheeks, but she did not care. What mattered was that the deprived monster in her stomach was satisfied.

“Tom,” she said, food still in her mouth, “If it’s alright, can I stop by and,” she swallowed, “ask for — like, uh, uhm — food?”

“Um…”

“Ah, sorry. Forget what I said.”

“No, no, it’s not that. It’s just… we’re staying in Switzerland for three weeks. And our flight is due tomorrow.”

“Real—!” She was cut off by a cough when a crumb went down the wrong pipe.

“Hey!” Tom slapped her back. He held against her mouth a bottle of water and she drank from it.

“Switz—!” she coughed, “—erland?”

He nodded, still rubbing her back until she finally calmed.

“Aww… I want to go there too.”

Tom said something, yet by that time, his voice was becoming distant.

_“Honeeeeey~!” She hugged him from behind and tiptoed as she held her phone up to his face, “Lookie~!”_

_On her phone were three images taken by a travel blogger. The first one was an aerial view of what looked like a medieval town idling on a winter morning. Snow coated pine trees and cottage roofs. The cottages, though in disarray, had a certain charm to it not found in urban cities; a quaint town untouched by time._

_The second was that of random strangers walking along cobblestone streets and checking out the Christmas Market’s festively-decorated stalls. Though she has set foot there, Samsa could tell that the streets of the Old Town radiated a merry feel to it._

_The third was the Abbey Library. Hailed as one of the most beautiful libraries in the world, with elements of Rococo embedded in its roots. The two-storey library boasted ornately-decorated interior filled with white, gold and a variety of pastel— from its walls to its ceiling to the staircases, and even the bookcases. If one looked up, they’d see an elaborate frescoe depicting a large swirling cloud filled with people she didn’t know. She’d have to look up what or who they were._

_“It’s St. Gallen! What do you think?”_

_“It’s beautiful.”_

_“Right?!” She lowered her heels, “Hmm, I want to go there someday. But it’s kinda scary to travel alone and my English is not super duper good either. They might laugh at me...”_

_“Who said you’d travel alone? Let’s save up. After the semester, how does that sound?”_

_She widened her eyes, “Omg, really?”_

_He nodded and gave a dimpled smile._

_Samsa squealed and hugged him tight, “I love you! You’re the best! It’s a promise, okay? Okay?”_

_“Yeah.”_

_“Promise?” She held her pinky finger to him._

_He reciprocated and locked his pinky to hers, “Promise.”_

“...hmm?” 

“Huh?” She was jolted back to the present.

“Do you know Seven?"

“S-seven…?” She tilted her head. “As in the… number?” She asked with a slight inflection in tone.

“No, no. It’s his name.”

“Name…? Like his... rapper name?”

“Uh, nope.” He gave her a weird look. “He’s just an ordinary guy. Pretty cool, though. You never met him?”

She shook her head. It was a large neighbourhood. No way would she know every single resident.

“Ah, figures. He doesn’t get out much. Go,” he gestured to his right, “six houses away from here, then turn a corner. Go straight and you’ll see 7-Eleven. From there—”

She listened intently, mumbling his words verbatim until she committed it to memory.

“Okay, got it! And um, a-are… are you sure I can ask him?”

“Hmm, probably. I don’t know. I haven’t seen the inside of his house, but he has cars.”

“If you’re not sure then… maybe it’s not okay with him. Thanks for the advice, though.”

“Seven and I… we’re buddies. Just tell him my name and he might help you. He’s really nice.”

_‘I can’t just be a beggar… though that’s what I’ve been doing.’_

“If he won’t believe you, try calling him ‘Jerry’.”

**o-o-o-o**

“Hmm?” Ray’s brows knitted as he crumpled the candy wrapper

_That damn hacker was trying to poke holes in his system. Again._

He never left his boss’ records completely spotless. Too clean and it would raise suspicion. Despite that, he purposefully left a few traces minor enough to not attract attention. But to be able to reach that far into his scandals...

He reclined in his seat and pinched the bridge of his nose.

Strange. Usually, he would be able to break through a system within a few minutes. Even the most heavily-secured system had holes in them. After half an hour of prodding, he finally found a hole in the hacker’s system. 

“There. Now get lost.”

His stomach rumbled; he hadn’t noticed the time. He forgot that his last meal was lunch with the princess. He remembered her knocking and calling him to eat. He told her he’d come in a minute, but he was so engrossed in his work that... He checked the time; it was past twelve. 

_A little midnight snack wouldn’t hurt._

He stood from his seat and made his way out of his room. As he headed to the kitchen, he realized he wasn’t alone.

From the living room, Ayu sat on a couch, feet propped on the coffee table and face covered in a black face mask. She held a camera in front of her face, making weird facial expressions… even a duck face.

_‘People actually like these kinds of stuff?’ His lip curled, ‘Get a life.’_

Ray was not one to talk; he had dedicated his life to hacking and derailing his boss’ rivals. 

He decided not to disturb her and simply went back to his original plan of grabbing a quick snack. From his pocket, his phone beeped.

He took it out, expecting a message from Big Boss. And he was right. 

_Not that he had many contacts in the first place._

> _From: Big Boss_
> 
> _I assume you’ve received the package, yes? Do observe extreme caution. Don’t let Ayu find out._

He long-pressed their thread and clicked the ‘Delete’ option.

Watching his boss’ daughter, oblivious to her father’s business and basking in her fame, he couldn’t help but pity her.

Ray didn’t mind lying to her; she was just his boss’ daughter, not a friend to be concerned for. She got that enough from her father. Too much, in fact.

_‘What a twisted dynamic,’ he thought, ‘An overprotective father who lies through his teeth, and an only daughter who believes his words without a single doubt.’_

For her own safety, yes, but lies nonetheless.

**o-o-o-o**

Seven grabbed fistfuls of hair as the security system made a loud beep.

_No one said anything about visiting!_

There were times he wished he were Jumin, whom people had to schedule an appointment with just for a 10-minute conversation.

“Uuuuuggghh, what?” He stood and dragged himself to the CCTV monitor screen. He reached the wall behind the monitor screen and opened the secret compartment. 

After taking a cursory glance, he did a double-take and pulled his hand away.

_Close call. He almost let a stranger in. How could he let a stranger in when he forgot to let Yoosung in? Thrice._

But in his defense, he hadn’t slept for five days straight at the time...

When the unknown intruder was finally out of the camera’s sight, he fiddled with his security system’s algorithm to change the password. After quick tweaks, he went back to work.

Midway through his work...

"Ah! Hey, what the...?"

Then it finally stopped and the computer shut down. He turned it back on again.

Once again, he had to repeat the process again, much to his chagrin. Just because he knew how to hack did not mean he never got tired doing it. Geniuses were humans too. 

He tried hacking into his but this time, he was unable to access the system. 

_He was caught._

Luciel typed in a few things, but nothing came out of it. Several minutes later, still nothing.

He banged his fist on the table. The hacker... stole back the case... he stole a day's worth of hard work!

"Wow. Un… believable.” 

He’d rather finish this and get it over with. Why should he go after a man suspicious only because of circumstantial hearsays? So far, he was able to take a few records of his clients. For the time being, he had to make do. It was better than nothing.

He took his phone and scrolled through his contacts. The secret agents from his former agency wouldn’t do; they might track him. He had no choice but to turn to the only one with the right connections.

After a few rings, the other line picked it up.

“What?”

“Yoooooo, Stark. How are you? I’m fine! Have you eaten? I have! Honey Buddha Chips are real food. Have you—”

“Cut to the chase, 707. I hate your stupid voice.”

“Ouch, my heart.”

“I’m hanging up.”

“No! You’re so mean! And this is urgent!”

“I don’t have time for your useless jokes.”

“You must! I need your friend!”

“Huh? Friend? The hell are you snorting?”

“Your! Friend!” Luciel snapped. He was turning into Vanderwood.

There was an exasperated sigh from the other end of the line, “It seems my taser wants to see you... Who the hell would I be friends with?!”

“I don’t know what I should call her! That ‘damn good’ chick you said before!”

“Damn good chick, wha— wait.” 

Vanderwood went silent, his breathing near inaudible that Luciel almost thought he hung up.

_“Tanja?”_

**o-o-o-o**

_Perhaps it was not bad luck, but karma charging Samsa for what past life Samsa did._

_What were the odds of going from promising SKY University Forensics Science freshman, Student # 2018-103240 to useless college dropout and homeless beggar?_

She had nowhere to go, but all she knew was that she cannot stay in one place. Though her legs were on the verge of giving up, the wallet currently not in her person limited her options to walking. The humid June air clung to her skin. How she wanted to slap past Samsa for taking for granted the university’s air conditioners.

She made her way to wherever her feet took her. If she hadn’t dropped out, she would have been eating or riding the subway to class or studying for the next quiz...

“Please… spare some coins… or food,” she begged literally anyone that passed by her. Although she was able to gather a little bit of money, the most she got were averted stares, curious gazes and eyes looking down on her. If only she could convert that to money…

A middle-aged woman and a young girl passed by in front of her, yet it was not them that caught her sight but the cookie in the child’s hand.

“Mommy, mommy,” a young girl tugged at her mother’s skirt, “why’s that lady looking at me?”

The mother said nothing, pulling the girl away and quickening their pace.

The sight stirred in Samsa a sense of deja vu. Unwanted memories of the disastrous mall incident came whirling. Jinri’s beautiful face and Jinho’s apologetic expression kept replaying like a broken record.

Samsa tossed her head and pulled her hair to its ends, “Ah! Stupid!” She smacked her cheek, “Stupid!” Then her other cheek, “I hate them! Eff you all! Go to hell, you piece of— UUURGH!”

Her vision began to blur, warm tears that threatened to spill stung her eyes. She sniffed and furiously rubbed her watery eyes with her arm. Her body shook with each suppressed sob. At 20, she was past the age of tantrums.

More judgemental looks were sent her way.

‘Mind your own business!’ She wanted to yell, but every time she opened her mouth, only quick choppy gasps came out. She decided to become the ‘bigger person’ and went her way.

**~ ~ ~**

As Samsa walked with no destination in mind, a stern-looking security guard suddenly blocked her with his arm.

“Excuse me, miss. Do you have a visitor’s pass?”

“Eh? A what?”

He scanned her from head to toe, “Do you have a visitor’s pass?”

“P-pass? I... I don’t think so?”

“Sorry, we can’t let you in. No outsiders are allowed.”

“Oh…” She mentally smacked herself. 

She looked around her and saw people with similar outfits; blazers, pencil skirts, suits, and neckties. 

She mentally smacked herself. She felt like a nomad, and was reaching places she’s never reached, all thanks to her absentmindedness. “I wasn’t trying to enter or anything! I didn’t mean to! I don’t know this place and I’m just a bit lost. I’m, um, sorry…”

She walked away, feeling more and more lightheaded. Her steps turned to staggers as everything around her spun. 

The noises grew fainter and her surroundings were blurring.

Then everything faded to black, arms catching her the last thing she remembered.

**~ ~ ~**

She opened her eyes and saw a woman’s face above her. 

“Oh, good, you’re awake.” The woman leaned back to her seat and scribbled something on her clipboard.

“Umm,” she propped herself up with her elbows, “where am I?”

“You’re in the clinic, dear. You fainted.”

“I... I did?”

“Mm-hmm. It’s most likely from dehydration. Make sure to drink lots of fluids next time. How are you feeling right now?”

“Umm, I feel better, thanks,” she sat straight, “I’m sorry but... I don’t have money with me. H-how can I pay for it...?”

“It’s fine. It’s been paid for.”

“Paid for? How...?”

“Mister Han paid for it.”

“Mister… Han?”

The doctor nodded. “Yes, Mr. Jumin Han.”

“J-jumin... H-han? Like from C&R International?”

“Mm-hmm. Sweetie, you don’t have any records here and you don’t have an identification card with you. If you could—”

She cut the lady off. “Where are they?”

“Hmm? They just left recently. Shortly before you woke up. Anyway—”

But Samsa wasn’t listening anymore. A spark of an idea came up. A dumb idea, but sometimes, the dumbest decisions should not be underestimated.

_Jumin Han… was a rich man with big bills for coins._

She immediately jumped out of the bed, “Thank you, ma’am!” She bowed then ran out of the door.

“Wait! You’re not yet—!”

She ignored her calls and tried to search for Jumin Han. She’d notice him immediately; his face was not hard to remember.

“Excuse me!” She stopped in front of the reception counter, almost losing balance and slamming her hands on the counter. She breathed for air and placed a palm on her chest, feeling her heart beat fast.

“Yes? How may I—”

“Have—” she gasped, “H-have you seen... Mister Jumin Han?”

“Mister Han? Oh! He just left.”

Her shoulders slumped and her expression went downcast. “I see…”

“You might still see him outside though.”

There was still a glimmer of hope. Samsa nodded, “Thanks!” And dashed out of the clinic.

**~ ~ ~**

A black-haired man fiddled with the cuffs of his blazer.

_Elizabeth the 3rd must be disappointed in him. Jumin rarely strayed away from his schedule. Elizabeth the 3rd must have felt so lonely without him._

“Assistant Kang, what’s the schedule for tomorrow?”

“You have a meeting scheduled at 9:00-11:00 with the Sales Department. Oh, you also have an appointment booked with the CEO of Chen Corporation.”

He nodded. “Anything else?”

“The usua—Ah!”

Repeated banging from the windows caused her to flinch and scoot to her boss. She looked to the window and saw the nameless girl she had caught, banging her fists on the window, her incoherent rambles muffled by the barrier between them.

Jumin’s mouth was slightly agape. It was the most emotion he ever showed in his whole 28 years of existence, all because of a stranger. Unlike Jaehee, he was not afraid or scandalized. In fact, there was a flicker of curiosity in his dark gray eyes fixated on the girl.

“Mister Han, what should we do?”

But his curiosity was not so strong as to waste time satiating it. “Let’s go. We have no time to waste. Elizabeth the 3rd has waited too long.”

And with that, the driver stepped on the gas and they sped away.

**o-o-o-o**

_Her plan to beg money from Jumin Han was a failure. With that, she has finally reached her last resort._

She stood in front of a two-storey black-and-white rectangular house. It had a wooden panel door, two locked double-hung windows, and a balcony; as nondescript as a simple home could get.

_‘So… this is where he lives… Here goes nothing.’_

She pressed the doorbell and all of a sudden, a flare from the right lit up. The flame extinguished as soon as it began.

_“Intruder! Intruder!”_

“Oh, you’re mistaken! I’m not—!”

_“Prove your innocence, lowly mortal. Answer the question and God 707 shall spare you!”_

“Huh?”

_“Translate to Arabic—”_

“Arabic?”

_“—‘nyan cat and the cat cat are banana cats’!”_

“I… I don’t know? I like cats though, is that enough?”

_“You have 10 seconds to answer—!”_

“Wait!”

“—before the bomb goes off!”

_“What?!”_

“10, 9…”

_Day 1: Fail._

**~ ~ ~**

Tom was wrong. The Seven guy wouldn’t just help a random stranger. Curse the generation she was in for being too suspicious.

_Scratch that. Curse the generation before hers. Unlocked doors used to be the norm until psychos exploited it._

_“What is the bunggeopang’s best part?”_

“Uh, the… filling?”

_“Engk! The bomb will go off in 10 seconds~!”_

“Wait!"

_“7, 6—”_

“I said, wait! Oh my god!”

_“1.9193³, 37/10, 3 and a half…”_

“Aaaahhh! Don’t kill me!”

She stepped back and ran away as fast as she could.

_‘I hope 7-Eleven wouldn’t mind me sleeping on the tables…’_

It wasn’t that hard. It wasn’t like she was a perfect student who never slept during lectures...

_Day 2: Fail_

**~ ~ ~**

_“Give the correct answer within 7 seconds and you shall pass, meow!” The distorted voice said in a cheery tone, “What is Longcat’s spine made of?”_

“Bones?”

_“Blasphemy! Dis! Ho! Nour!”_

For a boring-looking house, it didn’t live up to its complicated and unnecessary security measures.

_Day 3: Fail_

\- - -

“Miss?” The cashier gently nudged Samsa’s sleeping figure slumped on one of the tables.

“Uh, yes?!” She jerked her head up, startling the cashier.

Frantically, she snapped her head left and right. Ever since the incident, she’s been slowly developing her 

‘spidey senses’. Before dropping out of university, it took her 20 alarms just to wake up.

“Ah, I’m sorry, Miss! It’s just, uh— we noticed you’ve been sleeping here for three nights already.”

“Oh.” Of course… convenience stores weren’t adoption homes.

She stood up. “Um, sorry, I— I’ll just go.”

“Wait!” The girl placed on the table a plastic bag with a box and four bottles of water inside. “The manager told me to give you this.”

“Oh.” Samsa stared at it and her eyes welled from the kindness the stranger just showed her. “Thank you, thank you!” She bowed her head and took the girl’s hands. “You’re an angel—no! A literal goddess!”

The girl sheepishly smiled. “Eat up, miss.” She turned back and began to walk away.

“Wait!” Samsa stood. The girl stopped and turned to look at her.

"Yes?"

“Can I charge my phone?”

**~ ~ ~**

_Victory was hers._

It was all thanks to the employees. If it were not for them, she wouldn't be able to charge her phone and download a PDF file of an Arabic Dictionary.

"Test me."

_“What is..."_

She lifted her chin up, confident that she'd be able to answer it

_"...707 in binary form?!”_

Her jaw went slack. "You said Arabic!"

“The great 707 only accepts answers in Deutsch!”

She clenched her fists, “First Arabic, then binary, now Deutsch?!”

_“Engk! Dishonour! Dishonour on your whole family! Dishonour on you, dishonour on your cow—!”_

_Day 4: Fail._

**~ ~ ~**

“What’s Elvish for Newton’s apple and monkey’s banana, meow?”

Day 5: Fail.

~ ~ ~

“What—”

Day 6: Shouldn’t it be obvious by this point?

~ ~ ~

Samsa found herself in front of the same gate.

It may be hopeless, but there was no one else to run to. Her parents and older brother were in America,, she couldn’t trust her relatives to not inform her family, and Jinho and her apartment neighbours were out of the picture for obvious reasons.

_“If I say ‘ya’, you say?!”_

It was hopeless. “Ho!” She huffed and blew a stray hair away from her mouth. “I give up!”

_“Ho! Correct!”_

_Day 7: Fai—_

_‘Wait, what?’_

_“Welcome to the bestest place on Earth! No… the bestest place in all of the Milky Way! Enjoy your stay in 707 Wonderland nyaaaaa!”_

She heard an audible click from the door as it opened.

She was still in a state of shock as to how she was finally able to surpass the sadistic out-of-this-world question. It took her a few seconds to wake up from her confusion.

She took a deep breath and took off her shoes, "Sorry," then she led herself in.

As she stepped foot, lights turned on.

_The sight before her... was a disaster zone._

Strewn all over the floor were wrappers of chips and biscuits, crushed soda cans, and unironed clothes. From the corner of her eye, there was a crumpled pair of boxers lying just away from a white laundry basket.

She thought her room was a mess but as it turned out, she had a contender.

From her right, she caught a glimpse of her reflection from the mirror. She scrunched her face at her appearance. 

_‘I actually let myself go out… looking like that?’_

Her hair was such a mess, she wouldn’t be surprised to find a family of birds living there. Streaks of grime stained her face, her chapped lips had bits of dried blood on it, and dark bags noticeable even from afar... no wonder she received very little help; she had the harried expression of a lunatic on the loose.

The hunger gnawed at her insides again. She took out her plastic bottle and uncapped it, downing its remaining contents to its last drop. It only provided little relief that instantly faded.

Samsa circled the couch and examined it. Crumbs of what looked like potato chips were in-between spaces. Beige cushions and throw pillows were marred with dark stains. She carefully set aside a few soda cans littered on the couch. Then, she plopped herself down and rubbed the cushions’ fabric.

She craned her neck to check the door and counted to 5. When no one entered, she placed her head on the armrest and lay down. Leftover crumbs were prickling her skin, but after crashing on park benches and 7-Eleven tables, she couldn’t find it in her to care.

Finally! Something soft! 

She stretched her whole body and wriggled in her spot, albeit limitedly. She giggled, kicking and pumping her fists in the air as she did so.

Samsa was slowly losing grip of the present, but pulled herself out everytime she noticed.

When will he come?

Eyes fluttered to a close and head lolled as she drifted to unconsciousness, then back out. This went on for who knew how long. With her stamina and phone drained past 0, she lost all sense of time, and for a week, that had been her new life.

**~ ~ ~**

Something cold lightly nudged her forehead. “Hey.”

The voice was masculine and slightly nasal, but far from scary. Sense of urgency: unnecessary.

She moaned and shook her head. “Corpus… delicti. Body of crime. The essence...”

“Hey.” His voice was laced with irritation. The presumed man prodded her forehead, most likely with the cold object from earlier, and twisted it, as if screwing an imaginary bolt through her head.

“Ow,” she frowned and shook her head. She slapped it away, her hand coming in contact with his. “Year 19… bla bla chuchu. DNA… important piece of Forensic evidence.”

“Dear Lord, whatever this woman’s smoking… I don’t want it. And it’s 1986.” the unknown man sighed exasperatedly and yanked the pillow under her head, causing her head to slump down. “Hey!”

She groaned and slowly opened her eyes, “Y… yeah…?”

With her vision still hazy, all she saw was a blurry figure. She rubbed her eyes, trying to remove the sleep from them. She heard a click. She felt a tingle run down her spine.

_Something was not right..._

When her sights cleared up , she raised her head to face the stranger. Upon meeting his eyes, she felt her throat close up and her senses were now fully awakened.

“What are you doing here?”

_Standing over her was a young redheaded man holding a gun to her head._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading~ Sorry for the late update! Real life is just very hectic and all! Anyway, Tom was here lololol aaahhh has Tom showed up in the Mystic Messenger webtoon? I know Rui is a hottie there so I'm quite curious as to how the other guests would look lololol I reaaaaally want to see the chicken guy, though.
> 
> Anyway, do tell us what you think if it's alright with you~! Yororong!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading~! Do leave kudos or reviews if you've liked it and let us know what you think ^ 3 ^ (ehrmegersh I sounded like a youtuber there lololol)
> 
> For everyone's information~  
> MC 2 - Ayu
> 
> Playlist if you're interested! 
> 
> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0jjOgACjwU1xF8JfXUBjkj?si=f0nnm8FjQLSDXG6jwj_xnw


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